🌏 So far, the states of Central Asia are showing rather contradictory signs in their internal political and socio-economic evolution.

On the one hand, all of them emerged as independent countries within a fairly short historical period of 30 years. Despite numerous internal political conflicts, none of these states collapsed, as many in the West expected, and even hoped, in the first stages of their independence process after the collapse of the USSR. Each of the countries in the region is developing along its own unique path, reflecting historical experience and cultural characteristics.

Speaking of public administration practices, it is hard to find anything in Central Asia from the era of modernisation in the 20th century with a legacy powerful enough to overshadow earlier practices of maintaining comparative stability. Virtually none of the current development trends have destroyed Central Asian societies; rather, they are absorbed by them, adapted by the powerful cultural and civilisational layers accumulated over the centuries.

The most important question for the Central Asian Five may be their ability to overcome the trap where they’re at a level of development when the destruction of the state is impossible, but so is reaching a new level in terms of the quality of life of the population. It is unlikely that Russia wants its most important southern neighbours to be in a position where the gap is insurmountable, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Timofei Bordachev. 

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/russia-and-central-asia-a-great-peaceful-game/

📌 The article is prepared for the Third Central Asian Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club.

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🇷🇺🌏 Today, Russia and Central Asia are facing challenges that can only be addressed through the coordination of joint efforts.

Infrastructural limitations, the quality of human capital, climate change, difficulties in maintaining social stability, the need to transform economic models, sanctions pressure — all of these have prompted our countries to act in unison.

It is no secret that Russia’s opponents in the West can use the difficulties of our closest neighbours to foment destabilisation in such a sensitive region. Therefore, it is important to formulate common responses to the challenges facing Russia and the countries of Central Asia.

What challenges face Central Asia? What limits the development of opportunities? Artem Dankov, Associate Professor of the Department of World Politics at Tomsk State University discusses the most important long-term trends that are shaping the socio-economic landscape of Central Asia for the coming decades.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/russia-and-central-asia-common-challenges/

📌 The article is prepared for the Third Central Asian Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club.

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🌏 In Central Asia today, three poles of world politics and economics come into contact. These poles are centred on Russia, China and the United States.

The collective West and its leader, the US, initiated or at least supports the policy of confrontation with Russia and China, which ultimately provoked today’s multi-level political, economic and financial crisis around the globe.

The collective West today is persistently trying to involve Central Asia in the process of confrontation between the West and Russia. It is demanding that the countries of the region make a choice between the opposing sides. The United States has already begun to speak with the countries of Central Asia in the language of threats and ultimatums. American emissaries visited the countries of our region in April 2023 with a whole package of warnings and threats.

At present, we see that the ruling elites of the collective West are not going to acknowledge the loss of their dominant position in the world economy or in world politics. Therefore, they will try to destabilise other regions of the world. Now the collective West holds the South Caucasus and Central Asia at gunpoint.

Today, the countries of Central Asia are developing equal relations with all subjects of international relations on the basis of national interests. At the same time, the region, which has taken advantage of the formation of a new world order, will try to play a more important role in the modern system of international relations.

Central Asia strives to become a new driver of the growing multipolarity of the modern world order, writes Valdai Club expert Rustam Khaydarov.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/prospects-for-cooperation-between-russia/

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🌏 As confrontation between the major countries grows, the world economy will undergo serious changes in the coming years.

On the one hand, to some extent, we are talking about growing regionalisation, in fact, a reduction of the transportation leg in foreign trade to reduce risks. Another factor is the desire to diversify partners, also to mitigate the increasing level of political risks. The economic factor will be less decisive amid the new conditions.

The global changes will affect the countries of Central Asia and Russia, in part, by contributing to the expansion of mutual trade and investment, writes Marsel Salikhov, President of the Institute for Energy and Finance Foundation, for the Third Central Asian Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/the-role-of-russia-and-central-asia-in-new-word/

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🌏 Сhange is the basic feature of the current Central Asia region, or rather Central Asia is undergoing a period of great transformation.

This is the biggest overall trend shift in the Central Asian countries since their independence in 1991, and it is clearly reflected in its domestic politics, regional relations and foreign policies.

In the field of domestic politics, change is characterised by reform, as can be seen in the two major powers of Central Asia, Uzbekistan, the most populous country, and Kazakhstan, the largest country in territory. The two countries have had a change of presidents in 2016 and 2019, respectively, and entered the second generation of leaders, which led to the beginning of domestic reforms in both countries.

Although the reforms of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan do not cover all Central Asian countries, they have a key shaping influence on the formation of regional development trend due to their special status in Central Asia’s politics, economy and diplomacy.

After 30 years of development, against the backdrop of tremendous changes in world politics and economics, the Central Asian countries have a strong desire to embrace innovation, change, development and modernisation, writes Valdai Club expert Zhao Huasheng.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/change-in-central-asia-toward-a-new-central-asian/

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